GOVERNMENT ACTIONS

June 21, 1990

Prince William County

The following were among actions taken at the June 12 meeting of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. For more information, call 335-6600.

TREE ORDINANCE -- The board unanimously approved a zoning ordinance amendment that will require developers to cover 10 to 20 percent of a site with trees and large shrubs within 10 years of construction of a project. The new law goes into effect immediately.

In 1989, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation allowing local governments to require that developers provide a minimum of 10 to 20 percent tree canopy -- vegetation over five feet high -- within 10 years. This year, the General Assembly extended that deadline to 20 years, but ordinances passed before July 1 may still include 10-year deadlines.

Currently, the county does not have any law requiring developers to preserve vegetation, such as trees and shrubs, or replant vegetation if a site is cleared for construction.

Under the new ordinance, developers will be required to provide the following amounts of tree canopy: 20 percent of a site in agricultural and most residential areas; 15 percent of a site in a medium density residential area; and 10 percent in high density residential, business, commercial and industrial areas.

ZONING ACTIONS -- The board approved the following requests:

DAVIS FORD AND OCCOQUAN ROADS -- By Sharon S. Scarce for a special use permit to operate a restaurant with a carryout service adjacent to a residentially-zoned area and in a highway corridor overlay district, in which commercial development is restricted. 6 to 0. Occoquan District.

OLD DOMINION AND DUMFRIES ROADS -- By Dibex Inc. to rezone five acres from suburban residential and agricultural to general business for future development. 6 to 0. Brentsville District.

HARBOR AND LAKE MANOR DRIVES -- By Ken Thompson Properties for a special use permit to operate a car wash with a convenience store. 6 to 0. Occoquan District.

The following were among actions taken at a June 12 of the Occoquan Town Council. For more information, please call 491-1918.

RESCINDMENT -- The Town Council, in a split vote, agreed to rescind a vote last January to declare as public thoroughfare a section of a dirt road off McKenzie Drive in the southwestern corner of town.

The council's vote comes after Occoquan has spent several months and about $5,000 defending its January decision in court against the development company that claims it owns the 100-yard-long dirt road. Although it is shown on a 19th century map of Occoquan, the dirt road had never before been officially recorded as public.

According to Mayor Charles Pugh, the town "hope{s}" that Barrington Group Ltd., which has a 118-condiminium off McKenzie Drive, will now drop the suit it filed against the town for declaring the road public. However, the council's decision was not based on any settlement negotiations with the developer, said Pugh, who broke a tie council vote.

In favor of rescindment were Pugh and councilmen Richard Loomis and Robert Lehtos. In opposition were William Barnes and Wesley Jennings.

In January, voting in favor of declaring the road public were Barnes, Jennings and J. Matthew Dawson, who resigned from the council this winter because he was moving out of Occoquan.

The council, in a 3 to 2 vote, declared the road public at the request by Frank McKenzie, an Occoquan resident. He wanted to ensure access to the dirt road, which leads to a piece of property he owns, according to Barnes.

In February, Barrington filed suit against the town, claiming that it owns the dirt road. As proof, Barrington offered a site plan for its 118-condiminum development off McKenzie Drive which includes the road and which was approved by the council several years ago.

The site plan was approved "on the premise that the {dirt} road did not exist" as an official public road, Lehtos said.

In March, the town filed suit against Barrington for failing to remove part of a fence it was erecting across the road. "Once we made a motion, we were obligated to act as if it were a public road," Lehtos said.

At the meeting Loomis proposed that the council -- meeting for the last time in its two-year term, which expires June 30 -- rescind the January decision and that the town drop its suit against Barrington.

Town of Quantico

The following were among actions taken at the June 10 meeting of the Town of Quantico. For more information call 640-7411.

BUDGET HEARING -- The Town Council agreed to hold a public hearing June 25 on a proposed $339,550 spending plan for fiscal 1991, which provides wage increases of 25 to 31 cents an hour for the town's three-person police force and two-person maintenance department.

The proposed spending plan is divided into $154,792 for utilities and $184,758 for the town's general budget, which includes funding for the police and maintenance departments.

The proposed general fund budget request is less than 1 percent higher than the $183,595 allocated in the current fiscal year. Under the proposal, the town would maintain the current real estate tax of 25 cents per $100 of assessed value. Quantico does not have a personal property tax.

The proposed utility budget, which is funded by water and sewer fees, would maintain fees and spending at their current levels. About $58,100 from the utility budget would be transferred to the general fund budget for utility-related operations.

Under the proposed budget, the town's police budget would rise about $3,000, to $97,847, to help pay for a 3 percent increase in the wages of the two police officers and the chief of police. The lowest-paid officer currently makes $8.70 an hour; the chief of police, $10.43. Their wage increases would be about 26 cents to 31 cents an hour.

The proposed budget of $32,217 for maintenance includes 25-cents-an-hour increases for two maintenance workers. Currently, a full-time employee is making $5.80 per hour, and a part-time worker, $4.90.

About $74,708 of the budget would pay for general administration, such as Town Hall operations, the salaries of council members and the mayor, and maintenance of the town's two police cars.

The remaining $38,086 would be for miscellaneous expenses, such as $26,527 for the town's share of employee health benefits and $1,500 for recreational activities.

The public hearing on the spending plan will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 405 Broadway St. The council is expected to vote on the proposal immediately following the hearing.

NEW COUNCIL INSTALLATION -- Newly elected members of the Town Council, who will take office July 1, were sworn in by C.E. Gnadt, clerk of the Prince William County Circuit Court. The election was May 1.

The mayor and the five council members sworn into two-year terms are all incumbents. They are Mayor Howard Bolognese and council members Percy A. Brown Jr., Angelena Pandazides, Mitchel P. Raftelis, Leroy Riddick and Herbert J. Saunders.

Defeated in the mayoral race was Albert R. Gasser Jr., and in the council race, John Wayne Morris and Verna Lee Sutherland.